Political Correctness gone mad has created some of the stupidest decisions ever made in our society. The following examples are those that one day, without a doubt, may precipitate a person or person's death. The women that want to board planes or vote without uncovering their faces are the first example. Our driver's licences and passports have our photo on them so we can be identified in areas that require us to do so such as airports, border crossings etc. Why then would anyone or any citizen of this Country think it is OK to counter this procedure for any reason, religion or otherwise. If no one can see your face you can't be identified! PHOTO ID.. get it. How about the Sikh that wants to wear his turban on the construction site and forgo the safety helmet required to be worn by OHSA and his employer. Why does everyone else wear these protective helmets? TO PROTECT THEIR HEADS!. Will a turban repel a falling brick? NO! Put on your helmet and it may still cover your hair. Let's look at the kid bringing the symbolic Kirpan (dagger) to school and someone complains about it. The teen says its part of my religion (and it is) but the schools policy is 0 tolerance in allowing weapons of any type on school property. What does 0 tolerance mean? It means NO WEAPONS AT SCHOOL period! The Sikh's do not wear these Kirpans when they fly on airplanes for obvious reasons so why is that any different than bringing it to schools? It isn't unless you want to make a point of it for political purposes. How can these simple innocent infractions of our rules and laws cause someone to die? Well let's say two teens at school get into fight and the one with the kirpan is losing. He grabs his dagger and stabs the other teen in the neck right through an artery and the teen bleeds out. As noted above the construction worker is wearing his turban only when a metal rod falls from the 10 floor of a building and hits him on the head instantly crushing his skull and smashing his brains to mush. The final and one act with the most potential for mayhem is the fully covered woman who is really not a women at all but a terrorist on the no fly list who sneaks aboard to create havoc and potentially kill passengers. So In order to abstain from offending anyone several people in our society have, and will continue to be in peril everytime this lack of common sense prevails. No Religion or customs of any type should ever get in the way of public safety and yet many of the impotent and fearful politicians that make the laws won't force public employees to follow them because of the PC effect. It's time the pendulum swung back the other way and we all resurrect common sense and the rule of law to influence our decision making in these areas. Only then will we return to truth and fairness for everyone and not just special interest groups.

As you hear and read about the Canadian Government's decision to make the long form of the census non-mandatory you will no doubt run into the following things. Arrogance.....you will be told that this information is necessary and those who disagree are not intelligent enough to understand the complex benefits we all derive from all of the personal information gathered (# of bedrooms in your dwelling). Personal Attacks......If you are in favour of this change you are a fool or Harper is just looking for more control. Generalization.....If you believe in the legislation you have to be a right wing Libertarian. False information....you will see statistics that show that over 70% of Canadians want to keep the long form and only a small percentage do not. Ask yourself this "where did this information come from? How did they develop it so fast?" If it was a poll, what were the exact questions asked to get their stats?. You won't hear the answers to any of these just the numbers that somehow always come up on the side of the Libs. Fear....all of a sudden the sky is falling and a major disaster is ahead if we don't get this critical info. For instance one advocate stated that without knowing how many bedrooms are in each house how will we know if people are being housed properly? OK now you know. What will you do? What have you done in the past? (publish reports aka NOTHING). Let's be honest how many conversations about the long census form have you had over the past year? If over 70% of Canadians are against this change how come there have been no protests or loud objections from anyone but those in the Liberal media and the elites in the acedemic society? This is about those that know it all, telling those that don't, what is best for them and the Country. The issue is really about two things as I see it. First, the long form and its questions are not being eliminated. The law is being changed so that it is not mandatory to fill it out so the Government can't put you in jail if you fail to do so. It seems to me that if 70% of people want this info to be gathered then at least 70% of the folks will voluntarily fill it out, so what's the problem? Secondly and just as important is the principle of individual privacy that has been eroded so much over the past 50 years that people are just expected to comply with any and all requests from the all-mighty Government. Sure it may not be a big deal to the people that want our society to be one big collective with the control of our daily lives centered in the Capital of the Country, but for those of us who still believe in individual freedom and liberty it is a small step in retaining some information from "big brother". If you see yourself as a conservative thinker and you read this and say to yourself, "Is he crazy what's the big deal?" you have already been indoctrinated.

After another soldier's death yesterday I am once again questioning this mission to Afghanistan that is costing the lives of our young men & women and for what gain? Our military has one main purpose which is to protect our Country and its citizens. When the allies attacked Al Queada and the Taliban after 9/11 it was a just reaction to being attacked on North American soil and the loss of Canadian as well as other Ally's lives. This clearly was under the mandate given to our military and should be supported by all Canadians from shore to shore. However after several years the situation slowly changed to a point where today we are defending a position not fighting a war. A new but corrupt government was not accomplishing its objectives and worse, it was alienating it's own people leaving our troops in the middle. Our collective Governments issued orders to the troops to have no collateral damage and in fact began bringing charges against our very own soldiers for various infractions which, apparently, was to show the world how righteous we are. Now the nifty know-it-all politicians who have no knowledge about warfare, or fighting in the trenches have changed this action from waging a war to nation building which has clearly put our Military in the role of a glorified security force. In fact our government has stated we are leaving our jobs as security guards next year. It makes sense when you think about. Have you ever heard of any Country picking a time in the future to end fighting a war? If Churchill, in 1942 had said " We the British Empire will lay down our arms, cease fighting and return home in June of 1943" you can probably guess what Hitler would have done. He would have bided his time and limited his casualties until the scheduled date of England's withdrawal and then probably wage a major offensive sometime thereafter. It is absurd to stop in the middle of a war and go home. Therefore of course this makes my point "WE ARE NOT AT WAR". Trying to imitate what was done in Iraq won't work either because, in Afghanistan, there are a whole lot of different dynamics which won't allow it to happen. This has been apparent to the top dogs in Government for some time and yet they still retain the same profile which continues to allow our soldiers to die in a cause that has nothing to do with protecting our Country. A well trained Military should do two things very well, 1) Break things, and 2) kill people. So when you send them to war you can't tie their hands behind their back and severely limit their options because then they have almost no chance to win. I don't want my son or my friend's son fighting battles to keep politicians happy or to satisfy our so-called image on the world stage. If none of these righteous pols have the knickers to allow our soldiers to fight a "WAR" then get them the hell out of there NOW! Don't wait for another year. What in God's name will that get us, another 15 or 20 dead soldiers? I love my Country, I respect our closest ally the USA and I hold both of our Military's in the highest regard. I wish our leaders felt the same way and would yell the words, "To Hell with Political Correctness I'm going to do the Right Thing!" Do you think it will ever happen?

This past week there were two accidents involving motorcycles and in both cases the men died. There were no other vehicles connected to the mishaps so these guys were the authors of their own demise it seems. With these types of incidents happening frequently over the summer people constantly ask me, "Why do you continue to ride with so much danger lingering on the roads for those two wheel coffins?" (or something similar). The simple answer is, "I love my Harley! and I love to ride it!" A more detailed answer would include several other things such as I love;
-The sound of the 1450 CC engine with Samson duel pipes roaring down the highway in top gear
- The feel of the bike as it leans and hugs the road as you wind around the "S" curves in the road
- The joy of hearing Toby Keith or Willie Nelson blaring in your ears as you thunder down the highway
- Running through the gears from 1 to 5 as you accelerate from a dead stop.
- Juicing the speed from 65 mph to 85 mph in 3 seconds as you fly by a semi on the interstate
- Feeling and hearing the rumble of the Harley engine as you idle at a stop sign
- Leaning back and resting your legs on the highway pegs as you roar down a straight-a-way.
These are a few of the reasons I love/live to ride but don't get me wrong I know there is an element of thrill built in because there is no iron cage between you, the road or any other vehicles. Danger of some sort has always driven men in one way or another toward activities or sports that test your will and courage to overcome your own fears. Women usually forego this desire although that seems to be changing these days.
Finally there is the look of that hunk of steel and chrome shining in the noon day sun with the leather bags black as coal and their studs sparkling in your eyes. As you mount the beast and bring the engine to life I can truly say there is absolutely nothing better ( ????). Ok ok ok ok.
Rest in peace boys.

If you think back 40 or 50 years ago the general population had certain values and principles that were reaffirmed daily by the media in the content of the news they covered. Basic rights, good and bad, right and wrong were all things that were very clear and could be understood by almost everyone. Common sense also was a predominate factor in the logic behind most occurences in the day to day lives of our citizens. Then the Liberals and social engineers began to usurp power within the media and things began to change whereby simple logic became passe and every issue had a complicated series of factors that was responsible for every act. For instance, criminals were not bad people who did bad things. No they were misunderstood, mistreated victims of society who were crying out for help and needed the rest of the world to take them under their arms and provide comfort and care. Heroes became the enemy of this group of intellectuals because in their minds they glorified war. The flag, the love of Country, the honour of serving your nation in the Military and dying on the battlefield were things they felt should not be publicized so began the slow process of changing the public appetite from the John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart types to the Michael Jacksons and the Rosie O'Donnells of the world. Trashing our moral standards and diminishing the love of Country became the rallying cry of the left wing elites. In this way they hoped we would become less violent and then less likely to go to war. Of course their logic was off base because our nation wasn't a warmongering group of idiots. The only time we ever went to war was in defense of our rights and freedoms and those of our allies. But that made no difference to these god-like people (at least thats how they saw themselves). Finally after all these years things are starting to turn around. Of course 9/11 was the impetus which shook people up and since that time our military, which had been demonized for years, suddenly became respected and the soldiers honoured as they should be. While the media still spends an inordinate amount of time on the Lindsay Lohans of the world the news networks led by "Fox News" are forced to report on other things that our citizenry holds dear. Although it is a start it will takes years to reestablish moral codes and principles and only if we have leaders in politics and in the media that will offer a rebuttal to these left wing "know-it-alls" who try to push their ideology on to all of us. Patriotism and freedom are at the core of our Countries greatness and if we don't realize that, the loss of these things will bring us down to the level of the rest of the world and our lifestyle as we know it, will cease to exist. I am optimistic however as I view the upcoming generation that the changes initiated after 9/11 are still underway and will eventually be the menu of the day once more.

As I watch my grandsons grow up and observe their lifestyle in this day and age I often compare it to when I was their age or a bit older. There are definitely some positives to living in 2010 but I wonder if they are enough to offset the things that we enjoyed as kids in the 50's. First there is no comparison to the amount of toys that my grandchildren enjoy and the ones that I had back in those times. In fact I would venture to say that they get more at one Christmas morning than I ever received during my entire first 15 years on this earth. On the positive side I could walk out my door and go to any one of 10 neighbours on my street and find a friend to play with outside either in our backyards or more than likely in the farmers fields at the back of our subdivision or the bush at the end of the street. The only instructions I received were to be home for lunch or dinner which ever was the upcoming meal on the itinerary. Sadly today, my grandsons cannot leave the sight of a parent or a designated supervisor while they are outside of the house. Today kids are taken to school by a parent or driven by bus after being dispatched from the bus stop by their supervisor. I walked to school beginning in kindergarden and every grade thereafter and it was about 3/4 of a mile. It's not the distance that is the difference it is the freedom of fear in those days that anything bad could happen during the walk to classes. My grandsons have fantastic imaginations and I try to encourage them by playing along with them wherever, whenever and whomever they want me to be. It could be in outer space, fighting monsters in the jungle or at a fire scene as a fireman it doesn't matter because they provide the commentary and the necessary prompts for my actions. I don't think the imaginations of the kids today differ any from my time it is just where they are manifested. Today they tend to be inside the house or the backyard, in front of a TV screen (WI or Xbox) or using a handheld gaming device where in my day they came to life outside with pieces of wood and other made up accessories. I could go outside with my friends and play baseball or street hockey for hours without seeing a single adult whereas to day most if not all children's sports activities are organized and controlled by adults. If you play baseball on Tuesday night then the glove and ball sits in the hallway until that night rolls around. I started playing organized baseball at 11 and hockey at 15 but from the age of 7 until then, I played hundreds of pickup games with my pals on the street, the farmers field or the frozen over creek at the edge of the bush. The other thing that I question is the speed at which kids develop now a days. Because there is so much information easily available to everyone, kids find out adult type things at a much earlier age. You may supervise what your kids watch on TV or the internet but there are those that don't and their kids take that info and spread it around at school or at the playground. There is no question that the children of today are smarter and more advanced than we were years ago but I sometimes wonder if the price they pay is worth it. I admit I don't remember a lot of details from those times but I do remember they were the happiest of times spent with my buddies in that little town in rural Ontario.I just hope my grandsons develop the same memories of these years.

After following USA politics over the past ten years it has become apparent to me that the stigma of racism is alive and well albeit from a different sector of the population. Because of its history the US has struggled with this issue for years but I would suggest it is no different than any other Country in the world except for one thing. The American dilemma has been debated and fought in the public eye which is not the pattern in the rest of the Globe. The blood spilled over this issue in America has been primarily lost by one race(white vs white) fighting over the legitimacy of holding another race under the chains of slavery. Around the rest of the world it is usually one race killing others of another race through the guise of ethnic cleansing or genocide consider, Bosnia, Germany, Rwanda, Zimbabwe the Middle East and on and on. Only in the USA do the predominate race (whites) bend over backward to right practices of the past and provide equal opportunity for all its citizens. Unfortunately but predictably it has become an issue mired in politics and the latest elections have begun to dsimantle any progress made to date between blacks and whites. In fact the Hispanics are now being drawn into the picture because of the ever increasing numbers of their race now residing in the Country. Obama, instead of drawing people together has actually created the opposite situation because of his base belief system of inequality developed over years with his association with radicals and people who hate the way the United States has been governed. Couple this with his policies which are socialist or communist in nature and his outright misrepresentation of his intentions while campaigning, the white population is realizing that voting for him in 2008 out of guilt and high expectations has backfired. They see the things that made America the richest and most powerful nation in the world being dismantled and discarded under the guise of compassion and helping the needy. This of course is a lie like so many other things the Democrats have done to ram through legislation that will make the Federal Government the main player in the lives of all citizens. The "Tea Party" movement is the most vocal and the most public, but underneath the mild and non violent older generation of whites are the white violent and racist folks that are finally seeing their worst fears come to pass with a black man in office who is turning the tables on their race. Unless Obama and his administration reverse course and quit pitting the races against one and another the Country is facing a major disruption of which there will be much bloodshed regardless of what the pundits say. History of this type has played itself out in other places in the world and make no mistake it can and will happen in America if they stay on the same course. I hope this doesn't happen but the man is an ideologue and these type of people are stubborn and wear blinders when it comes to conflicting opinions and ideas. So don't hold your breath as we enter the 2011 elections where the first battle lines have been drawn.

Reeking" Is His Business Model: Homeless New Jersey man Richard Kreimer said in February (2006) that he had settled, on undisclosed terms, part of his most recent lawsuit, against a transit company and two drivers, for having denied him rides because of his foul odor. Kreimer's history includes a $150,000 settlement with the public library in Morris County, which had tried to keep him out because of his odor, and, by his count, $80,000 in additional lawsuit-related income (though some went for legal expenses). Kreimer filed another foul-odor lawsuit in February against a transit company and a train station in Summit

People who live or work in New York City believe themselves to be among the world's toughest and hardiest, but at least 51 of them are apparently legendarily soft: the 51 city bus drivers who between them took 3,200 days of paid leave last year to "heal" over the single workplace "injury" of being spit on by passengers. (Thirty-two other spit-upon drivers did not request leave.) An official with the Transport Workers Union called spitting "physically and psychologically traumatic" and requiring "recuperat(ion)." [New York Times, 5-25-10]

Vying in recent years with Washington, D.C., as the nation's "district of calamity" is Detroit, whose previous mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, was in May ordered to prison to serve 1-1/2 to 5 years after repeatedly violating his probation on his conviction for obstruction of justice. In June, Detroit's school board president Otis Mathis resigned under fire, then tried to un-resign by offering to cure himself of the behavior that started his downfall, specifically, Mathis' touching and fondling himself during several one-on-one meetings with the school system's General Superintendent, Teresa Gueyser. [Detroit Free Press, 5-25-10] [WXYZ-TV (Detroit), 6-17-10

According to a May report by Seattle's KOMO-TV, former Oregon National Guardsman Gary Pfleider II is awaiting the results of his latest appeal to end the garnishment of his disability checks to cover $3,175 for gear he supposedly "lost" when he was shot in Iraq. Pfleider was hit in the leg by a sniper in 2007, bled profusely and was evacuated (and is awaiting his ninth surgery on the leg), but the Oregon Guard apparently believes that, despite the trauma, Pfleider somehow should have paused to inventory the equipment he was carrying and to make arrangements for its safekeeping during his imminent hospitalization. [KOMO-TV (Seattle), 5-28-10

Catholic Youth Organization coach Michael Kman, 45, was charged in May with various misdemeanors regarding an alleged attempt over a several-month period to fix kids' basketball games for Kman's Our Lady of Lourdes church team in East Pennsboro Township, Pa. According to police, Kman sent multiple text messages to referees Jay and Jon Leader, offering them as much as $2,500 if certain games reached the "right outcome." The Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg has suspended Kman from coaching. In Kman's day job, he is a financial consultant. [Patriot-News (Harrisburg), 5-14-10]

British mechanical engineer John Tyrer told an audience at the annual meeting of the Institute of Physics in Brighton, England, in March that he and his colleagues were using lasers to design a more comfortable bra. "A breast imposes various load distributions ... and vibrational problems as the woman walks," he said, and he criticized the "strap design" that "transmits the load to the wrong places." According to Tyrer, the technology, "Electron Speckle Pattern Interfermometry," analyzes the way a three-dimensional surface (like a bra) changes when a force is applied to it.

Yesterday I completed my first volunteer assignment for the Dog Rescue Farm I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts. My "assignment if I chose to accept it" ( listen to the Mission Impossible music in the background) was to drive a cargo van to Fort Erie, cross into the USA and meet some folks in a park in Buffalo to pick up several dogs. Once situated into their crates and loaded onto the van I was to re-enter Canada and proceed to take the dogs to their new home at the Rescue Farm. These animals come from somewhere in Ohio and are basically strays who have been abandoned by their owners for a variety of reasons , none of which justifies their actions, in my opinion. As someone once said," we humans have domesticated dogs to the point where they are dependant on us for their survival and therefore we should take this responsibility very seriously." However I digress. Once I hit the US border I was ready for a series of questions about why I had all the empty crates in my van, where was I going and who was providing these dogs. Then I would be dinged with a charge for each empty crate which, apparently, was a fee to raise money for government coffers, "C'mon Barrack loosen up a bit and give the dogs a break". Anyhow, the customs and immigration officer did not seem to be aware of this rule and proceeded to let me through and even helped me with directions to my rendeavous spot. Ring one up for me! Once there I met up with the folks waiting to pick up dogs and finally the transporters from Ohio who were bringing the animals to the park. The first gentleman I met was my advocate and really helped me get through this, my first dog exchange of which I appreciated very much, believe me. I was impressed by his thoughtful care for animals as his SUV with empty cages was sitting idling with the air conditioning on to keep the vehicle cool for his upcoming guests. It was 34 celcius outside. Each cage had a cushion or padding in it as well as some dog treats . He also brought lots of water and bowls to let all of the dogs (ended up being 22) get a drink during the transfer stage. Once the two SUV's carrying the dogs from Ohio arrived the job was to get them sorted out, match up the paperwork (breed & health info, verification of rabies vaccinations, vet authorizations and general information about the animal) and then reload in our cars. In between the move from one vehicle to another each dog was allowed to have a drink of water and to have a brief walk in the park to stretch it's legs and do any business required. Once this was finished I had to get each one of "my" dogs into their new crate in my van and make sure they were secure. This was hard work and I was soaked with sweat when I was done. I also had two large scrapes on my arms from some of the cages that I had to maneuver around in the back of the van. I now had war wounds to flaunt! As I think about it now the people I met here were very unique for a lot of different reasons some of which would solicit a few laughs I'm sure, but the real neat thing was that none of us were being paid (other than costs) for putting in all of this time and effort for a few dogs and you just don't make fun of that. Next came the re-entry into Canada and I ended up being pulled over for inspection. After about 20 minutes I was on my way albeit with a distinct unpleasant odor in the vehicle. Because of the heat outside I had to keep the air conditioning on and of course the windows closed so eventually I became "one with the smell". So much for the old saying that dogs don't crap in their own surroundings. Eventually I returned to the Farm safely with a new adventure successfully completed and bragging rights to being an active volunteer not just a talker. What I did realize however was that my job was the easiest part, as now the folks at the dog camp had to absorb these dogs into their family, feed and care for them and hopefully find a home for each one. I gain more respect for these people everytime I see them. Next time though I'm going to make sure each dog gets enough time walking during the transfer phase so I don't have to bring a mask and live with 2 hrs of delightful and aromatic odors permeating the vehicle.

Pow pow.... another banger bites the dust in the big city. Two things then happen almost immediately. First we hear about the traffic in illegal guns and how it must be stopped in order to end this violence and second we hear about "what a good boy the victim was". This is usually accompanied by a picture of the victim, his mother or both on the front page. The next several things usually happen but not always. We see a local organizer speaking to a group of people about regaining control of their community and saving their children from a similar fate. Next is a police officer pleading with the public for help in finding the "perp". Then the outrage and sympathy quickly fades away after it is overshadowed by the next gunshot that finds the chest of a inner city youth. So much huffing and puffing and nothing ever changes except the faces of those gunned down in the streets of our city. If anybody was serious about correcting this situation it would have been done by now because common sense and history have always had the answers. Accountability and responsibility are the simple corrective actions. Make people accountable for the severity of their actions which interprets to a jail sentence that is clearly a deterrent not just a slap on the wrist. Any crime commited with a firearm should carry a minimum 20 year sentence and shooting someone should start at 25 years with no chance of parole. Knowing these are the consequences of using a gun the then would be shooter is sending a clear message (I don't care) to society and then becomes solely responsible for his/her actions. Responsiblity means "YOU" are to blame not your mother, not the welfare system, not your abusive Dad, not the wrong crowd etc etc. Therefore suck it up put on the orange suit and slippers and head for your cell without any tears or pleas for leniency. Unfortunately our politicians and judges are of a Liberal slant and therefore see this type of answer too abrupt and simple and doesn't take into account all of the psychological, heredity and environmental factors that are the real cause for these misguided victims of society. They prefer to put these people's rights ahead of the law abiding folks who are always the real victims of these crimes. Sure the prison population would rise at the outset but it will even out after the shooters decide to lay down their arms for another weapon of choice. Nothing is 100% affective but this type of action has proven time and time again that when implemented it can almost eliminate its intended target. Take Thailand for instance, they have some of the toughest drug laws on the books anywhere in the world and you rarely hear of any problems with smuggling etc except once in a blue moon when a foreigner is caught and the Liberal media rushes to their assistance. How about chewing gum in Singapore? I know this isn't as serious as gunplay but it illustrates the type of action required if a society truly wants to put an end to a particular practice in it's community. Hey I have an idea, put me on the bench and then watch the prison vans line up for new tires on a very regular basis.........................